Alexandre Joseph Désiré Bivort (1809-1872) was a Belgian horticulturist who bred a number of new varieties of fruits.

Active in various horticultural societies in Belgium and France, Bivort published two works, Album de Pomologie, and Annales de Pomologie Belge et Etrangere (1853-1860), the work from which our plates come. These works remain the classic reference on Belgian fruit of the era. Bivort's primary interest was in pears, which are ideally suited to the Belgian climate, and he developed his own varieties, some of which he named after family members, such as the Charles Bivort and the Arthur Bivort pears. It is interesting to note that Bivort was so dedicated to realistic portrayals that he sometimes depicts imperfections in his meticulously-drawn subject matter.